Stray Dogs: Biting at the Light
by ryu kazerei
Summary: Four destinies converge, weave and ultimately split into their respective paths. The 'Dogs' universe and story-line filtered through my own scope. Will feature all main characters, maybe some originals.
1. The Blade Maiden's Uncertainty

This is an idea that's been floating up in my head for a while now, and after re-reading the Dogs manga for about the 20th time I finally decided to start it. Dogs is one of my top 3 favourite manga and I've always wanted to write a fanfic for the series. I identify with most of the characters pretty heavily and it's pretty fun trying to put myself in their head-space to write this.

I'm gonna follow the format of the actual series; 4 one-shots to introduce the main players and show where they're at (mentally or physically) at the start of this story, which I would say is somewhere around where the manga is currently at. This is my own adaptation of where I believe the future chapters will go, once I get into the actual story.

Disclaimer: "Dogs' is written and owned by Miwa Shirow, one of my favourite artists. Go read t if you haven't already.

* * *

The unpleasant thought was always present, like the dark shadow that followed her as she headed deeper into the light. Like an unwanted memory, it was always biting at her psyche. A piercing set of eyes, sending a constant, foreboding sense of doom running down her spine. They were always there watching her, she felt them around every corner, behind every door...

and she hated it.

They were always watching her, making sure she didn't escape the sad, sad reality that's been written for her. The same reality she was always searching for, and the same reality she became terrified of once it presented itself to her. She had no idea who she really was, who she was supposed to be. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know anymore, the idea of living on in ignorance was sounding better with every step forward that she took.

_Every step towards the truth..._

_...towards the light._

It truly scared her, the possibility that her entire existence was created by the whim of that woman. The same woman that she had unknowingly hated and striven to cut with her blade. No matter what the truth is, the same results are yielded. Whether she continued to seek revenge or not, her life would be ruled by that woman.

_The other Naoto._

Was she even human? Was she a hero, or was she created for evil purposes just like all the other dogs? Would she be taken over again, and be made to do unspeakable acts of carnage? Would she kill all of the people she now sought to protect?

These, and many other questions she couldn't answer would flood her mind at night. During the day, she could easily push all the anxiety to back of her mind. Between training, work and the constant investigating her strange group conducted, it was very simple to not think about all the unknown variables plaguing her mind and future.

It was only at night, once she would return, alone to her apartment, that the realizations would start to weigh down on her once again.

"Everything I've believed up until this point, everything I thought I knew was nothing but a complete fabrication." She would repeat this night after night, standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom. It's surface covered in condensation from the shower, she would stand and watch as drops of water began to form at the top of the pane and run down the length of the glass.

Her image would slowly be revealed, more questions flooding her mind with every section of her reflection that showed itself to her. Every time, she hoped it would show her skin unscarred but every single time, the ragged 'X' on her chest eventually revealed itself and the most painful question would always come to her mind.

"How long do I have to keep going on living, cursing someone?" With each passing day, the answer never came and with each passing night, she would stand before her tarnished reflection, wishing that this sad tale would finally come to an end.

* * *

I'm starting with Naoto 'cause she's always been my favourite Dogs character. I'm not sure who's gonna be next, probably Haine since I have the most ideas for him.

Anywho, stay tuned, read and review.

"Til next time, Sayonara.


	2. The Stray Dog's Salvation

__I realized after writing this that posting Naoto and Heine back-to-back would paint this story as overly depressing lmao. It's not always gonna be like this, Badou's is going to be nowhere near this serious and Mihai's is going to be more retrospective. Naoto and Heine are just really troubled at this point in time xD

All italicized text is Heine's other personality talking (not sure what the official term for it is). This only applies to this chapter, it's very likely to change later on.

Anyway, here's chapter two.

* * *

_How many times now have you come before me Heine?_

Too many times. Too many time he found himself in this space, completely devoid of anything but the endless white that surrounded him. This was his own personal purgatory, the deepest confine of his mind which housed the worst aspect of himself. It was a dog cage, barely containing the beast inside of him.

It was always there, looking over his shoulder, breathing down his neck.

_You can't ignore me Heine._

An insatiable beast with its' fangs permanently bared, an existence of pure killer instinct and violent intent.

_You've grown soft Heine, when was the last time you really let loose?_

_Don't you miss the sound of flesh tearing between your teeth?_

_The feel of fresh blood covering your skin?_

He didn't, not in the least, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he once again degraded into his more animalistic self. As much as he detested it, there were too many opponents that he couldn't beat with his guns alone.

_That's right Heine, you need me. You need my power._

As much as he hated it; his power, his blood-lust, he knew that he would need it to survive the battles soon to come. Would it be enough? He had no idea, but he was never particularly certain about the future to begin with. He always just did what was necessary to survive, nothing more and nothing less.

_Yeah, bite and claw your way to survive little pup._

It was the only way he could atone for all the terrible things he's done up until now. If he didn't survive and put an end to all of this, then what was the point of gaining this power in the first place?

"If I don't kill every last one of those psychotic bitches, I'll never be able to forgive myself-"

_Oh?_

"-and Lily will never be able to smile."

_I see you're still singing that same old, sad song. You really are pathetic Heine._

"You're talking too fucking much, I can't even hear myself think. Piss off asshole."

_Heh, As you wish. Sleep tight._

He wouldn't "sleep tight". He never did and that bastard knew it. Every night, whether he went to bed in a good mood or a bad mood, he would have _that same fucking dream._

"The memory of that time, when I ripped you apart with my bare hands. When I grabbed your cold, bloodied torso and hugged it close to my body. When you whispered my name softly in my ear for the last time, and I felt your heart come to a stop."

A very small part of him thinks it was probably for the best, because life here really wasn't any better than life in that hell. That small part thinks that he saved her from all of this, but the rest of him knows better. The rest of him feels nothing but guilt, because she never got to experience anything but that place. She never got to see the sky, smell fresh air. She never got to hold real flowers.

He could have really saved her. He could of taken her with him, but instead he let that _thing_ take control of him. She could be with him today, seeking their revenge together.

If he was able to put an end to them, dismantle the entirety of that fucked up organization, would Lily be happy on the other side? Would she be watching him, smiling?

He really hoped so.

* * *

See what I mean, depressing stuff lol. Elliott Smith has been setting the tone for the first two chapters, particularly the song "Between the Bars". Go give it a listen, it's a very beautiful song :)

Anywho, stay tuned, read and review.

Sayonara.


	3. The Gun Smoker's Anticipation

This chapter turned out pretty short, but I think I captured Badou fairly well. I identify with Badou a lot, since I too get pretty insane when my nicotine level gets low lmao. I'm quitting soon though, that should be fun xD

Anyway, enough about me, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Badou considered himself a fairly simple man. A simple man with simple tastes that preferred an easy, carefree life to the more destruction-prone life he's lived up until now. He liked simple things; smoking cigarettes, writing, a nice stimulating conversation.

But sadly, the world he currently found himself inhabiting didn't really allow for the simple life he strived for.

No, this broken city called for one to be on their gaurd at all times. It seemed like whenever one threat was taken care of, five more would pop up in its' place and they were only growing stronger and more malicious.

Even the seasons no longer existed, seeing the sun these days was an extremely rare thing. Every year its' light would shine down less and less, and soon even that would just become another lost memory. A mundane occurence that everybody took for granted, and would soon be gone.

People tell him he should quit smoking, but how could he with how truly fucked up the world was these days?

Nevertheless, he was not a cynical man. Hell, when placed next to all the others in his little make-shift group, he would even seem optimistic. He believes that there's a underlying reason for all this shit, that their day of reckoning is waiting for each one of them and approaching quickly. Maybe he was looking too far into it, but his gut told him that something big was coming.

Something unforeseeable was about befall this city and everyone's lives would undoubtedly change forever.

And it's because of this fact that he can't enjoy the quiet life he loves. So he keeps digging deeper, chasing any lead he comes across hoping to uncover any information about the underground he can muster. He didn't know if he was getting close, most likely he was going in the complete opposite direction, but he continues searching regardless.

And he will also continue smoking, as he tries his hardest to accomplish what his brother could not...

Shed light on all the evil happenings down below and maybe, bring forth the peaceful life he wished for.

He could only run away for so long, and he's sure everyone else was slowly coming to the same realization.

* * *

I'm slowly starting to come up with the direction i want to take this story, I've got a lot of interesting ideas :)

Mihai's next and I'm very excited to write his part.

As always, stay tunes, read and review.

"til next time, Sayonara.


	4. The Weepy Old Killer's Timeframe

Meh, another short chapter. Very happy with this chapter regardless, I have a lot of strangely interesting ideas for this old coot.

Enjoy~

* * *

The concept of time has always been a particularly strange thing to ponder. It's ingrained in almost every aspect of day-to-day life, to the point that it is almost untraceable. Mihai even surmised that if the perpetual construct that is time was never conceived, average beings would probably never realize its' existence. Just like the air we all breathe or the ground we all walk on, you don't really notice it. It's just kind of there but the older one becomes, the more aware they find themselves becoming of these mundane things.

He thought always saddened him to a degree; that most humans only understand the true importance of things once they begin to run out...

and his time is undoubtedly running out, the end moving ever closer towards him.

It wasn't until he got wrapped up in his current plight that he came to this obvious realization. No, it wasn't until he realized what the next generation was capable of that it finally dawned on him.

His time was up, probably been that way for awhile now, and now he was left staring in silent awe as these poor children bared the burden that his generation left on their shoulders.

It was that fact alone that kept him pushing forward, he could not help feeling at least partly responsible for all of their misfortune. He hadn't directly caused any of this, but it's the people of his time that were. They were the embodiment of the antiquated ideals that these kids were fighting tooth and nail to abolish, ideals that have no place in the world that this generation wants to bring forth.

He could see it in every single one of them, they were each aiming to end these dark days. Even if they are being driven by selfish reasons, each of their retributions would form exactly what the present world is missing.

The ever-limited feeling of peace and serenity, something that has long since been dead. He used to think that's what he was running towards but in reality, he was just running away from his past. Each of them were, but lately he's noticed a feeling stirring up inside of him. A feeling he thought he had lost long ago.

The unmistakable feeling of hope.

Hope that with the new generation would come a new age, free of all the sadistic philosophies presently running rampant in this country. He will help all he can to bring that hope into fruition, but he knows he won't be the person to bring forth the change.

It has to be them, they have to take control and let the ways of the old finally die.

Time truly is a strange thing, it's what binds us together and what separates us apart. It's what keep us going and what ultimately stops us.

Truly strange.

* * *

And that marks the end of the prequel chapters, which means I have to start threading some sort of continuity out of the cacophony of sounds in my head. Should be fun.

Anywho, stay tuned.

'Til next time, sayonara.


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